The Storytelling Elicitation
by platypus-quacks-too
Summary: A series of short shamy stories based on prompts. It will slip to frenzied fluff more often than I can control.
1. The Swedish Crib Dispersion

**Prompt: Amy is pregnant and sheldon feel the baby kick or they are building the crib.**

Amy studied the multitude of beech pieces and tiny screws currently invading her living room and coffee table. Then she looked at Sheldon, busy in disposing them.

"Are you sure it's such a good idea to assemble the crib here? I am not sure it's going to fit through the door. _I_ am not sure I'm gonna fit it." She added, resting one hand over her fast growing seven-month belly.

Sheldon carefully aligned the last nut. "The handbook says it's 29 ⅞ inches wide, and our bedroom's door frame is 31 ½ inches."

"It _barely_ fits it."

"Yes." Sheldon admitted. "But here at least we have space to assemble it. There's not enough space in the bedroom, we hardly have anywhere to place it."

He handed her the instructions. "Now, let's check if we have all the pieces."

" _Sundvik"_ Amy read out loud. "Wait… it's the only word in the whole thing!"

"Pictograms allow the manufacturer to avoid to print out instructions in the various languages, and they can be understood by anyone. Even the most illiterate person can get it." He explained enthusiastically to her.

Amy continued to flip through the pages. She had a doctorate, and still the images looked pretty cryptic to her.

"Eight long screws." Sheldon counted and nodded. "Four shorter with the trimmed point."

He stared at her a little longer. "All here… they have a name though."

Amy raised an eyebrow. "It is?"

Sheldon looked away. "I… I just don't remember it right now."

Amy giggled, but then stopped almost immediately once she realized the next one would be even worse.

"Eight… tiny grooved- these things here." She said pointing to the picture.

"... six, seven… Oh no! One is missing!"

"How's that possible? Maybe it rolled out the table?"

Amy tried to check around her, as Sheldon was already crawling in front of the couch. "I swear I aligned it with the others, it must be- Ouch!"

He had hit his head against the edge of the table. He raised his hand to massage the sore spot, and immediately screamed in horror.

"No no no!" He cried, hurrying to the other side to the table in the desperate attempt to stop the last of the metal components from falling.

He looked up to Amy in seek of comfort. "Most of them are on the floor now." Sheldon whined.

"Sheldon, maybe we should ask for help. Look, even Mr. Ikea says so!" Amy showed the handbook again, pointing to the figure of two happy workers opposite to the one of a sad, lone one.

"You are helping me already."

"Sure. A huge, graceless whale that can barely stand is so helpful in collecting tiny pieces from the ground."

Sheldon sighed. He stood on his knees and got closer to Amy.

"First of all, you are a really beautiful whale." He said, causing Amy to smile. "And second, _I_ will be the one building the crib for my child, just like my father and his father before."

He bent and place a soft kiss over Amy's belly. "Hey kiddo." He whispered to it. "It probably will take a while because of some _minor_ inconvenience, but daddy is building your crib with mommy's help."

Amy immediately felt the baby reacting with a firm little kick. Instinctively she brought her hand where it hit, as Sheldon joined her with his own.

"You know, we should try teach her Morse code."

Amy shook her head and chuckled. "You can't do that!"

"Are you sure?" Sheldon urged. "Then how can I be sure she understands what I'm telling her?"

"Babies can perceive and recognize voices outside the womb from about the thirtiethweek. So yes, she most likely won't understand word by word, but she may be already able to understand her father is talking."

Sheldon's eyes sparkled. He returned his head close to Amy's bump.

"Your mommy says you can hear me. As I was saying, we're building your crib. We're gonna do whatever it takes for you, kiddo."

The baby's reaction didn't take long, as both felt it moving below their hands.

Sheldon gulped. "Oh my. She hears me." His voice was now softer. "She _really_ hears me!"

Amy moved her hand over Sheldon's, and lightly squeezed it. Sheldon returned the blissful smile she had given him, gently rested his head on her belly, and raised his arms to hug her.

"I can't wait for this little one to come." He muttered.

It wasn't the first time Sheldon hugged her and their baby like that. Still, she found herself fighting back happy tears. Apparently Sheldon always had a way to surprise and overwhelm her with love, and the little thing in her belly was already the luckiest one in the world.

"Can we stay here a little longer? She's still talking to me."

Amy nodded and joined Sheldon in following their child's movements, as the crib and all its missing screws were temporarily forgotten.

 **A/N: Thank you all for all the support in these past weeks. Every review, follow or favorite truly makes my day better.  
The biggest hug to my dear bigbangenthusiast, who once again helped me as beta reader.  
**


	2. The Maternal Scolding Decay

**Prompt (suggested by creep-moon): Mary Cooper realizes that Sheldon and Amy have being living together for almost three weeks by Leonard and she feels hurt that her own little Shelly didn't tell her about it so she takes a plane to give them a surprise visit, but what surprises her the most is that they're shameless to express their love for each other physically while she's under their apartment's roof.**

 **A/N: I slightly changed it to Mary finding out of the engagement instead of the cohabitation.**

"Thank you so much, Mary. I'll let you know how it turns out," Leonard said, as he finished writing down her pecan pie recipe. He was trying to prepare something special for Penny, and a yummy southern dessert seemed like a nice idea to him. Moreover, he liked talking to Mrs. Cooper.

"My pleasure, Leonard. Maybe I'll have a slice of it next time I'll be visiting."

"Well, then I guess it'll be pretty soon."

"Huh? Are you planning to visit anytime soon?" Mary asked. She had already agreed with Sheldon and Amy that they would come for the holidays, but they never mentioned that Leonard and Penny would join them. She wouldn't mind though, if she could return a little of all the love they had for her Shelly.

"You are not? I thought that maybe you would like to help Sheldon and Amy with the wedding plans." Leonard explained.

The silence that followed scared Leonard. It was clear he had said something he shouldn't have. He gulped.

"Leonard?"

"I… I am so sorry. I thought you knew," he stammered. Amy had returned from Princeton almost three weeks ago, having finally accepted Sheldon's proposal. Leonard was sure they had told their families immediately. He evidently was wrong.

"Don't worry dear… Save me some of that pecan pie."

Two days and one thousand and a half miles later, Mary Cooper was outside her newly-engaged son's apartment, ready to scold him.

She knocked, sure he was already up. He had never been a sleepyhead, not even on a Sunday morning like that. Then why was no one answering her? She knocked again.

"Leonard!" She heard Sheldon shouting. "We're… um, late. Start breakfast without us." Was that Amy giggling in the background?

Mary knocked for the third time. "Sheldon Lee Cooper, you better show up and greet your mother!"

She heard a clunk and some twitchy movements. A minute later, Sheldon opened the door.

"Mother?"

"You could at least put your robe on."

Sheldon lowered his stare embarrassed. In the rush, he had only managed to get into his pants and undershirt, which was poorly tucked in.

"What… what are you doing here?" He asked, as his mother tightened him in a hug.

Mary smiled at him and brushed his cheek. Just a moment before she only wanted to yell at him. Clearly it was before her Shelly Bean showed up with messy hair and fewer layers of clothes than she was used to seeing him in as proof of the funny night he just had with his fiancée.

They entered the apartment. "I'm here to see how long you would have managed to hide from your mother that you got engaged."

"How did you -" Mary interrupted him with a meaningful look. "I'm sorry."

She got closer again to Sheldon. "Shelly, why haven't you told me?"

"I'm sorry." He said again. "I spent the whole summer waiting for Amy's answer. I was so scared she could say no that I hadn't told anyone." Mary couldn't help but thinking that it was kind of ironic the girl had him waiting so much after all the time he took to make up his mind.

"And then she said yes, and we were so excited about it... When I realized I haven't told you, it was too late, and I could only try to think of a good occasion to drop the news."

"Let me guess, that's why you seemed so enthusiastic about visiting over the holidays?"

"You haven't told your family?" Amy exclaimed, joining them in the living room. " _How_ could that happen?"

"Oh, don't think about it. You'll have a whole life to scold him," Mary joked. "Now, come here and give me a hug!"

Immediately Amy found herself wrapped in her future mother-in-law's affectionate embrace. She could swear she never hugged her that tight.

"I'm so happy for you dear." Mary was squeezing her. "Even if I can't believe the insane amount of time it took for Shelly to decide to make you an honest woman."

"But Amy is the most honest person I know!" Sheldon protested. "She always tells me when I'm doing something wrong."

Amy smiled to him. "Sheldon, your mother meant that since you're marrying me, we will no longer _live in sin."_

He grimaced. There was nothing bad in what they did at night and on Sunday mornings.

"Now, excuse me," Mary said before any discussion with her son could arise. "I'm going to freshen up. How about letting me find a good breakfast when I return?"

When she returned, Mary stopped on the doorstep, hoping they would not notice her too soon. She had heard Sheldon laughing, in such a way she rarely had in his childhood.

"Amy, can you pass me the eggs?"

Mary noticed Amy's smirk. "They're right here." She said, showing a couple of eggs. "But you need to earn them." She added right after, hiding those behind her back.

"Really?"

Amy nodded. He grinned, and leaned for a peck. "Here, you earned them." She proclaimed, handing him the eggs. When he had broken and beaten them, he moved to the other side of the kitchen to retrieve the salt. On his way back, he lightly patted her lower back with the bag he was carrying. Mary goggled at that, and she was also almost sure he had muttered "Vixen" in doing that.

"Sheldon, can you pass me the bread?"

He took some slices, and simply stared at Amy. She understood his game, and reached to _earn_ her bread too. After another peck however, Sheldon had returned the bread over the kitchen island and got closer to her, rested his hands on her hips, and deepened the kiss. At that, Mary eventually cleared her voice to make her presence evident.

The couple detached straightaway and blushed. "Breakfast is almost ready," Sheldon could only say.

They finished cooking and sat together with Mary to eat. She asked for further details about the proposal, their work together, the preparing of their wedding. When they admitted they hadn't started any yet, she offered to spend some time with Amy downtown and give a first look for wedding gowns.

When she and Amy were ready to leave, Sheldon hugged his mother, then turned to Amy to properly greet her too.

"Will you join us for lunch later?" Amy asked.

Sheldon had already wrapped her in his arms and kissed once. "Sure" He muttered, and soon enough Amy too was lost in their embrace.

Mary had to clear her voice again. "I can't wait for some new grandchildren, but I'm sure y'all can wait a little longer to make me one."

As the two excused themselves and blushed again, Mary smiled proudly. Her Shelly could say what he wanted about her faith, but the truth was that, in the end, all her prayers had been answered.

 **A/N: A bigger thank you to bigbangenthusiast for beta reading. I mostly wrote at night and it ended up having even more errors than usual.  
**


	3. The Parental Naming

**Prompt (suggested by nklnnd): Oh I would love to read about a Shamy child and how his day in the Fowler-Cooper family would be.**

 **A/N: Since it was kind of an open prompt, I thought about doing something a little different. During last week rgbcn's instagram live someone mentioned the idea of Sheldon and Amy adopting a child, possibly someone with an higher IQ: I ended up following this path.**

"Okay Jarod, we are ready to launch," Sheldon said, securing the wooden wick to the homemade rocket they have built together.

The ten-year-old boy nodded, and Sheldon placed the rocket on its launching platform. "I did some math, and because of its weight, shape, and the chemicals we use for fuel, it should go up about 1 foot," Jarod stated enthusiastically.

Sheldon smiled; the boy was right. "Now, let's start the countdown."

"Wait!" Jarod exclaimed. "I'd like Amy to watch the launch. Oh, and Marie too. I'll go call them."

He ran to the backdoor and into the kitchen, where he found Amy cooking dinner and Marie happily doodling on the table.

"Hey kid. Have you done with your experiment?" Amy asked.

"We are ready to launch. Do you want to see it?"

"Sure!" Amy answered. "Just give me a moment to finish here, and we will come."

The boy nodded and bolted back to the backyard. Amy checked her sauce and decided she could turn off the stove, then turned to her daughter. "Do you want to come with Mama to see Daddy and Jarod's experiment?"

The toddler smiled. Growing up in a family of scientists, she has learned to feel excited when someone mentioned the word 'experiment'. "Jo boom!" She exclaimed in response.

"I hope not!" Amy joked, then helped Marie climbing down the chair and took her hand.

Once they were outside, she picked up the little girl and took a moment to observe Sheldon and Jarod, as they checked for the last time if everything was fine. There was so much of Sheldon in the boy, and it went much more beyond the fact that they both wear super hero t-shirts. It was their bright eyes that sparkled when they dealt with the wonders of physics; it was their superior intelligence that made them able to understand what most of the world couldn't, and at the same time could give them a hard time around people.

Sheldon had no doubts when he had first met him. The university had sent him and the guys to schools again to get younger people interested in science, and destiny had led them to Jarod's classroom. The first time the boy had raised his hand, he asked about the recent progress of the studies in the dark matter field; the second, he corrected Leonard in his enunciation of Newton's law; the third, he wanted to be assured the class would really have received a free Yoo-Hoo at the end of the lesson, and if he could have two. So, when Sheldon knew he was in the foster system, he had immediately offered Jarod to come live with them, and became informed on how to make it possible. He and Amy had just bought a house and already had an infant to take care of, but his wife simply had no objections to it. Jarod had won her over too the moment they met.

"You are perfectly sure of what you are doing, right?" Amy teased her boys. "The last rocket I knew about had me walk four flights of stairs with a nine-month baby bump."

"Well, you don't have to worry. I checked Jarod's calculations, and they were perfect." Sheldon assured her.

"Moreover, I unfortunately don't have actual rocket fuel like Leonard." Jarod added. Sheldon had told him the story of how their friend destroyed the elevator in the attempt to get to fly a rocket like that. As a result, Jarod had been extra careful with the math, and a bit envious of Leonard.

Finally, the countdown started, and Sheldon lit the wick to make the rocket begin its journey. It took off in a puff of smoke, and flew just as high as they expected. Marie pointed to the rocket during the whole flight, while Jarod spent that time jumping on the place and screaming with excitement.

Once it completed its trajectory, the rocket fell back into the yard. Jarod immediately rushed to it to check its condition.

Sheldon walked to Amy and Marie and kissed them both. "So, did you have fun?" He asked.

"Daddy boom!"

"Yep, I'd say she had fun," Amy commented. "He really did it all by himself?" She asked then to her husband.

Sheldon nodded. "Most of it, yes. I just checked his calculations and assisted him during the preparation of the fuel. It's never a good idea to let a 10 year old alone with chemicals, no matter how smart he is. I know a thing or two about it."

Jarod joined them and showed the rocket. Despite the fall, most if it was still intact. "I can try to make it fly again!" He announced triumphantly.

"Good job, Jarod," Amy congratulated. "Now, hurry up and go wash your hands. Dinner's almost ready, and I'm sure neither of you want to miss it."

"Are you implying that-" Sheldon started, but Jarod was faster than him.

"Spaghetti with hot dog cut up in it!" He exclaimed in one breath.

ii.

They had dinner, and Sheldon covered his turn to put Marie to bed. Jarod promised he would go to sleep by 9:30, so he and Amy finally retired to their bedroom.

"Remember, tomorrow we need to call Mrs. Mitchell and ask her for an appointment to discuss the final details for Jarod's adoption," Sheldon told Amy, joining her under the covers.

She smiled sleepily. "I won't forget it." She snuggled next to Sheldon, resting her head on his chest. "How do you feel about it?"

Sheldon pulled her close. "I'm thrilled and scared and excited, like when we were waiting for Marie… no, I must correct myself. I feel even more scared, because this time if we do something wrong he can tell us right away."

"And be sure he will tell us."

Sheldon looked back to her. "You are not helping!"

"I was just saying that Jarod is the kind of person that tells people what's wrong without many filters. He does remind me of someone…" Amy explained.

"And in any case," she continued, "I think that in the last year we haven't done that bad, have we?"

"I hope so. I … I just want him to be fine."

Amy raised her head and kissed him. "I know. I want the same."

Sheldon returned the kiss, when they heard someone knocking at their bedroom door.

"Sheldon, Amy? Can I come in?" Jarod asked.

"Sure! Come in."

They detached and sat, while the boy opened the door and took a few, hesitant steps into the room.

"What's wrong, kid?" Amy asked worried.

He moved closer to the bad and spoke quietly. "N-nothing wrong. I... I need to ask you something."

Amy just got more worried. As far she could remember, he had never spoken with such uncertainty in his voice. "Come here, and tell us," she offered.

Jarod climbed the bed and crawled closer to Sheldon and Amy. He stopped in between them and stood on his knees.

"Do you remember last Sunday when we went to the zoo?" He began. "We went to visit the koalas right after our arrival."

Sheldon and Amy nodded. They always went to the koalas first when they go to the zoo. They had kept the tradition for many years already.

"Do you remember the zookeeper? He approached us and allowed me to play with one," Jarod continued.

Sheldon interrupted him. "I warn you, Amy won't let us take one because of the state laws."

Jarod shook his head. "It's not that," he explained. "After that, the zookeeper chatted with us a little, and I told him my IQ is above the average. He looked impressed and said that my parents must be so proud of me."

Jarod stared at them. They didn't seem to have understood his point.

"He meant you _._ He thought _you_ are my parents."

Sheldon and Amy exchanged a heavy glare. Suddenly, they felt so guilty about that. The last thing they wanted was that Jarod thought they were somehow trying to replace his dead parents.

Amy found the courage to speak first. "Did that bother you?" She asked him softly.

"No!" Jarod answered immediately. "Please don't think that. Let me explain." He needed to get the point quickly, he thought. The first tears were already in Amy's eyes, he didn't want to make her cry.

"It made me think about something. I have been with you for over a year. You let me do physics experiments and read calculus textbooks with me. You buy me Spider-man comics, and we go together to the zoo and to the movies. You sang Soft Kitty to me when I got sick and cook my favorite meal when I behave. Marie calls me Jo and always wants me to read to her _Curious George._ "

"In a few weeks, we will go to the judge and they will say I'm officially part of this family. And that zookeeper already thought so anyway, right? So I thought that… "

Jarod took a deep breath. He had been thinking of this for the whole week. He had rehearsed what to say, even thought to slip those words and see what happened… But this wouldn't be fair toward Sheldon, Amy, and Marie.

Amy understood his hesitation, and took his hand, smiling kindly at him. This gave Jarod the courage he missed.

"I… I wondered if I can call you Mom and Dad."

He immediately felt Amy's grip tighten. He looked up, and saw that those tears she had been fighting in the last minutes were now falling down her cheeks.

"Oh no no!" The kid exclaimed. "I don't want you to cry! I don't want you to be sad because of me," he cried.

Thankfully, he saw that her face already softened and that she was now smiling at him.

"I… I can?" He tentatively asked again.

"Of course!" Amy finally replied.

"Really?"

"Yes." She confirmed. "I would be honored to be called your mom."

"So would I," Sheldon weighed in. "It's my honor to be your dad."

Before they could add anything else, Jarod jumped on them, trying to embrace them both. They returned the hug, Amy placing little kisses all over his head, Sheldon trying to cover the fact his own eyes were now watery too.

When they finally let go of each other, Sheldon offered the perfect way to seal their agreement. "What if you sleep with us tonight?"

"But I'm a big boy," Jarod observed. "I'm too old to sleep with my mom and dad."

"True, but think about this: you are entering this family, and thus you're going to have the same treatment that Marie gets. She's slept with us many times already, while you never did. See that as… a compensation," Sheldon clarified.

Amy supported him. "This sounds like a really good point. Come on, get under the cover."

That was a perfectly good point for him indeed, so Jarod just nodded and joined them in the bed. They still had to lie back, when a tiny voice drew their attention to the door again. They saw Marie, holding her stuffed monkey and now staring at them with her big green eyes.

"Momma?" She called again. "Daddy?"

Amy stood up and went to her. "You had another bad dream, didn't you?"

The little girl nodded. "Come here," her mother immediately reassured her. "Now you are safe." She picked her up and brought to the bed. "The monsters won't harm you here."

She kissed her and placed her down the bed. Marie greeted Jarod. "Hi Jo."

"It looks like it will be crowded in there tonight," Sheldon joked. "If this continues we will need a bigger bed."

"Then we will buy a new one," Amy replied, returning to bed.

"Now, let's sleep, everybody. Goodnight!"

When they all were laying down, Sheldon switched off the light. He turned to the children, and so did Amy.

Once everyone had adjusted, Sheldon raised his head for a moment, trying to distinguish the figures in the dark. Amy was wrapping Jarod, who held Marie's hand. He raised his arm to embrace them all. Amy felt his move and did the same. They found each other halfway, and their hands interlaced.

"Goodnight family," they whispered together.

 **A/N: Thank you all for the reviews & love you have for my little things. I'm also considering a statue for bigbangenthusiast to thank her for patiently correcting me. **


	4. The Perfect Lovebite Escalation

**Prompt (suggested by tbbt-faves): I want a Shamy hickey story. I'll leave it very broad and you just work your magic.**

Sheldon joined the guys at their table. "Gentlemen."

" _Doctor_ ," Howard greeted back. Sheldon ignored him, and sat like everything was normal. After all, he was just wearing a long, woolen scarf in the middle of the hottest fall of the latest years.

"Um, Sheldon, your scarf is all over my salad." Leonard noticed. They observed as he moved it and had another turn around his neck to avoid further problems.

"So, lunch at 1, convention at 3?" Raj asked.

"Very funny, but no," Sheldon answered him. "I woke up with a sore throat this morning, and the Doctor scarf was the only one I could find at the moment."

"You don't sound like someone with a sore throat," Raj pointed out.

Sheldon faked a loud cough. "Yes, I am."

Leonard shook his head. "I know I'll regret asking it, but… Seriously Sheldon, why are you wearing that?"

He shrugged and let out another cough. "I'm really only trying to preserve my poor throat. Nothing suspicious."

"You know, if you were not - well, _Sheldon_ , I'd think you are trying to cover a hickey or something," Howard joked.

His friends laughed at the thought, and Leonard replied to him, "Be serious Howard. He does not even know what a hickey is."

"Exactly. I have not the slightest idea of what are you talking about."

They all immediately stopped laughing. There had been something in Sheldon's voice that sounded so…

"Oh my God," Leonard exclaimed when his brain finally dared to elaborate _that_ idea.

Sheldon pretended to ignore the sudden epiphany of his friends and coughed again. He was debating on what to eat first, when he realized they were still staring at him. He sighed.

"Can we eat now?" He snapped.

Howard suddenly started giggling. "Can you believe that?"

Raj echoed him. "Sheldon Cooper needs to cover lovebites. The end is near."

"Yeah," Leonard agreed. "Although, I have to admit that I heard some suspicious nois-"

"OK, this is enough." Sheldon popped up. "I won't stay here and let you make fun of me."

Leonard tried to calm him. "Sheldon, we are not. To be honest, I am even a little proud…" He added with a smirk.

"Really, Leonard?"

Without waiting for further replies, Sheldon just left. That was unacceptable. Amy needed to assume her responsibilities for that mess, or at least receive a taste of her own medicine. Yes, he needed to repay the favor, he realized, marching toward Amy's lab.

ii.

"Pretty fiancée, pretty fiancée, pretty fiancée."

Amy smiled and looked up to Sheldon, who had just asked to enter her laboratory. "Come in," she granted him.

Sheldon reached her, and they exchanged a quick peck. "What brings you here?" Amy asked. "If you want to ask me for lunch, I'm sorry - I had already a quick sandwich. It's really busy in here."

He came closer and enfolded her. "I know. I'm just here to see you, and maybe steal another kiss from you,." he said, and pecked her again.

As much as Amy enjoyed her current position, she also knew perfectly well that Sheldon wasn't the kind of person that randomly showed up only for a little love - especially in the workplace. "So, it's just this?" She inquired.

"What? Can't a man just be happy to see his woman?" Somehow, his hand had just slipped under her lab coat. Amy took a deep breath and detached from him, moving to the counter to retrieve the samples she needed to continue her work.

"He can," she explained, "but the last three times I heard these exact words, he wanted, in order, to bring me to Comic-Con, to get back his human-size Batman action figure and place in our living room scenery, and trails for his train models."

"First of all, I would have kept the models there only for a few days," In a moment, Sheldon was close to her again. "And second, why can't you just believe me? I'm offended."

Amy didn't have time to answer back. Sheldon clasped her from behind and placed a first gentle kiss on her exposed neck. Thankfully for him, she used to have her hair pulled back in her lab. He kissed again, and again, until she turned around and reached for his lips. He returned the kiss, then moved eagerly back to her neck.

Amy giggled, and Sheldon stopped for a moment. Not quite the reaction he expected. She pulled slightly away and moved her hands to his scarf. "It tickles me. Can we take this off?" She explained, pulling that away. Her eyes immediately caught a familiar purplish bruise on the right side of his neck.

"I knew it!" Amy exclaimed. She couldn't believe she had forgotten why he was wearing that ridiculous scarf in the first place. His intentions were obvious the whole time.

She pushed him away. "You just want to get your revenge, don't you?" She burst out.

"No!" Sheldon lied. "That was never my intention."

Amy raised her eyebrows. He needed to give in. "The guys mocked me. I thought it was fair you had one, too."

"Really? _You_ asked for it!"

"What are you talking about, woman?!"

"So, you didn't tell me to 'muffle my screams'?"

Amy blushed as she recalled that. Sheldon lowered his stare. He perfectly remembered the circumstances in which she procured him that embarrassing bruise, and how technically it had been under his request. He definitely enjoyed their lovemaking sessions, but he was also more and more annoyed by Leonard and Penny's continuous jokes because of what they heard from 4B. However, it was not so clear to him _how_ she was going to fulfill his solicitation. He had realized only in the morning, seeing that thing in the mirror.

"Um, we appear to be at an impasse," Sheldon observed after a whole minute of complete, awkward silence. He didn't like the fact she was aware of his intentions now, but surely he did like how he felt buried on her neck. Amy was irritated by his immature reaction, and at the same time she shivered thinking back at the way he had embraced her and held her a few moments before.

It was Amy's initiative to unblock the situation. She went to the door and locked it. Then she took off her lab coat and her cardigan, leaving them on the hook near the entrance. Approaching a very confused Sheldon, she unbuttoned her underneath blouse enough to assure him access to her neck, collarbones, and bosom.

"Proposal: one hickey, ten minutes at most, no visible places."

Surprisingly to her, he didn't try any bargaining. He just nodded. She sat on a free counter, and timidly smiled at him. "Shall we begin?"

He immediately went to her, crashing his lips over hers again. If she really meant to give him only ten minutes, offering herself like that didn't help at all. Resting his hands over her hips, he pulled her closer, and deepened the kiss. Still, that wasn't his goal. Leaving her mouth, he moved to her neck, gently kissing it. Her rules forbade him to leave signs there, so he moved down lower. It was clear now how she had chosen that position; she elevated enough to let him easily dedicate to those areas.

He eventually decided where to leave his hickey: a little above her left breast, toward the shoulder. He was sure it would not be visible there. He placed a couple of kisses and started sucking. Amy immediately reacted and tilted her head back, as a moan escaped her. Sheldon felt encouraged by such a response, and tried a small bite, then one hand moved from her hip and slid below the blouse up to her back.

She wondered how much time already passed. A part of her felt so silly to have imposed him only ten minutes - the same part that now had her parting her legs enough to bring him even closer. Another part was sure that a larger or no limit at all would have just led to even more unprofessional activities to be held in her laboratory.

Sheldon, for his part, seemed to have just forgotten where they were. He only thought of he wasn't doing well with that hickey, and if she would have let him move his other hand to her tights. Shortly after she allowed him, however, she realized how much he was already involved in all this. Notably, what she now felt pressed against her pelvis made it very much evident.

The responsible part of her won. "Uhm, I - I think the ten minutes are over," she painted.

Sheldon obeyed and detached from her. What was he doing? He just had to repay her the hickey. Embarrassed by the sudden and evident betrayal of his own body, he didn't dare to look back up at her.

"I - I am sorry for this," he apologized.

Amy reached for his hand. "It's ok," she reassured him. Oh, if only they were home...

"So, how is it?" Sheldon asked.

Amy lowered her gaze and studied his work.

"Not bad, being your first time. But it still looks a little too pale."

"What?!" Sheldon complained. "I did an excellent job. Sheldon Cooper doesn't do anything less than perfect."

"I don't contest the fact that Sheldon Cooper does a lot of things perfectly, but I think that he probably needs a little more practice for this particular activity."

"Fine," Sheldon conceded. "But then I require a few more sessions to improve my technique. In other words, we still are not even, little lady."

iii.

Sheldon sat on his couch, and impatiently looked at the time on his watch again. Because of his earlier visit, Amy had to stay at work overtime in order to complete her part for the day. And while he had enjoyed spending the ride home with Leonard, he didn't like to wait that much to see her again. He did not under normal circumstances, he did even less now that he was impatient to put into practice the tips for the perfect lovebite he had been looking for the whole afternoon. No more 'pale' ones.

"Hi."

Finally, she was home. He immediately stood and turned to her.

"You're home. Please, drop your bag, remove your cardigan and open your blouse again."

Amy stared at him perplexed for a few moments, while getting rid of her bag. "I beg your pardon?" Maybe she had just heard wrong.

"I need to finish what I started today."

"You have warned me how living together might kill the romance," Amy commented sarcastically. "I guess the moment has come."

This surprised Sheldon. "Why?" He asked. "I just offered to make out with you."

"Sheldon, it's not that. You know I like making out with you," Amy explained. She most certainly liked it, especially if things got heated like in the session they had earlier that day. "But you can't just tell me that the moment I get home. I'm tired; I want to eat first."

"We are eating with the group tonight, and Leonard still hasn't left to take the food. We have time." He moved closer and held out a hand. "You just need to relax."

Amy studied him. His proposal now sounded much more interesting. She sighed. "Fine," she surrendered. "I'm yours."

Sheldon waited for her to slip out the cardigan and took it to fold it, while she undid her blouse once again. He returned to the couch and tapped the spot next to him. "We're ready."

"Who would have thought Sheldon Cooper would have insisted so much to give someone a hickey," Amy commented, as she neared the couch. He didn't answer and remained silent looking at her in anticipation. "Mmm, I think it'll be easier this way," she clarified when she straddled Sheldon instead of sitting next to him.

They started kissing, and Sheldon didn't hesitate this time going directly under her blouse. When he reached her bra's clasp, he couldn't help but being tempted to open it. Amy felt his hands resting there, and grinned. "You are on a mission, remember?"

He nodded, and pulled her closer, leaving her lips for her chest. He kissed and brushed where he decided to place his new hickey. He didn't resist, and made a tiny detour to peck one of her breasts. In his defense, it was way much too closer to his face to be ignored so grossly.

He had returned to his mission for a while, when suddenly they hear some familiar voices approaching.

"Guys, we are going. Sheldon, do you know what Amy-"

In the span of a few seconds, Leonard had knocked, entered, rushed back outside and shut the door. So fast that Amy actually realized what had just happened only later, when they heard Leonard shouting that he was sorry. Then they simply burst into laughter.

"I'll take the same as Sheldon," she eventually shouted back in response, and they heard him and Penny rushing away.

Sheldon shook his head. "Well, I guess they will have something else to gossip about now."

Amy agreed, then lowered her stare to see how his task was going. Apparently, very well, as a purple mark now spotted on her chest.

"It seems you have mastered this art as well," she congratulated him, kissing him in reward. He tried to deepen it, but she stopped him.

"You know, it'll take a while before they come back. If you are interested…"

"I am."

Amy didn't need to hear it twice and stood right away. He followed her, taking her hand to head to their bedroom.

"I warn you though, I won't take time constraints now," Sheldon announced, closing the door behind them.


	5. The Distant Relative Collision

**Prompt (suggested by odd-like-an-ood): Sheldon and Amy are invited to Texas for any of the holidays and the whole extended Cooper family shows up, curious about Shelly's other half. Some of Sheldon's cousins are hitting on Amy and Sheldon gets jealous and possessive.**

"I didn't remember you had so many relatives."

Amy took another look around her and Sheldon and tried again to count how many people were crammed in Mrs. Cooper's house.

"Neither did I," Sheldon confirmed.

"And have you noticed how they keep… _staring_ at me?" Amy observed. She had already awkwardly waved back at three different elderly ladies in the last few minutes alone.

"Amy!"

Mary's cheerful voice interrupted them. Amy smiled back to the woman, who just proceeded to hug her tightly. "So, are you having fun?"

"How could we?" Sheldon snapped. "Our home is full of strangers."

"They're not strangers! That's your family," Mary scolded him. "You should show some respect to all of them."

Amy gently squeezed Sheldon's hand. "What Sheldon was trying to say is that he does not recognize most of them. Is there any particular reason why distant relatives have also joined us for Christmas?"

"For you of course, dear! _Look at your hand_!"

Amy raised her left hand and looked at the precious ring on her finger. "They knew of the engagement!" She said way too loudly to Sheldon. From the back of the room, a white-haired man raised his paper cup and yelled his congratulations.

"Mom!" Sheldon protested. "Why did you tell all these people?"

In her defense, she actually didn't invite all of them. She simply had told a few closer ones, but the news of the engagement had spread like wildfire and reached relatives up to the third grade at least.

"Oh, Shelly," Mary answered back. "They just want to know your future wife. You should greet them instead of complaining."

"Is this because we forgot to tell you about the engagement?"

" _You_ forgot to tell her about it," Amy immediately corrected him.

Mary ignored her son's accusation. "Enough," Mary said. "Amy, why don't you let me introduce you a few of them?" She wrapped her arm over Amy's shoulder and smiled. "As I said, everyone is here to meet you… and to get drunk, but this is another story."

Amy shyly nodded, as Mary looked back to Sheldon. "You better go to the kitchen and bring here other eggnog," she ordered him.

Sheldon snorted. "I am not a waiter!" He grumbled on his way to the kitchen.

ii.

It took a while for Sheldon to return, and honestly a little luck to not spill the whole contents of the large pitcher of eggnog he had been given. Once he had left it on the food table, he immediately turned around looking for Amy.

He soon got nervous, as she seemed to have disappeared. He started to walk around the house, determined to find his girl and possibly running away from there.

He passed over more than one person who had tried to congratulate him and almost yelled to an old great-aunt. He was about to scream her name, when finally he saw her. Was she laughing?

Sheldon moved closer and verified that indeed Amy was laughing with someone - a tall, robust fellow wearing worn out jeans and a plaid shirt.

Amy noticed him. "Sheldon! Come here."

"Who is he?" He immediately asked once he had reached them.

The guy smiled. "I am afraid he won't remember me."

"Yeah. Who are you?" Sheldon confirmed probably too dryly.

The young man seemed didn't noticed and talked again with a kind tone. "I'm Christopher. I think your mom is a second-grade cousin of mine or something. We met at your sister's wedding the last time, I think. At least, I remember you from then."

"I don't," Sheldon insisted. "What was he telling you that was so funny?"

"Christopher has just told me a joke about horses. Wait, it was a joke right?" She asked the young men, afraid to have somehow misunderstood. Horses weren't something she was terribly familiar with, after all.

He reassured her. "Yes, it was. I'm not sure it was that funny though. Thank you for laughing at it anyway."

Amy playfully patted his arm. "Don't say that! You are funny."

"You are too kind, darlin'," Christopher thanked her. "Hey, why don't you come visit us one of these days? I can let you ride a horse."

"She can't," Sheldon answered in her place. "Her hips don't open wider than 22 degrees."

Amy blushed embarrassed, as Christopher looked confused for a moment. Then spoke to Amy again, "I'm not sure what Sheldon means, but I'd say you have very nice hips."

"Look," He continued. "You don't have to ride if you don't want to. You can just pet them, and then I can show you the surroundings."

"That's enough!" Sheldon cried out. "Stop hitting on my fiancée!"

Amy sighed. "Sheldon, there's nothing to worry about." She reached for his arm and gently brushed it, hoping this would calm down him a bit. "Christopher was just being nice with me."

Unfortunately, she felt Sheldon's body tense under her touch. "Yeah, I saw that. Come here, let's leave this hellish party."

Amy left his arm. "What? I'm finally having a good time. I won't leave."

"Fine. I'm leaving then."

She couldn't do anything but look at him storming away. Christopher tried to apologize, but Amy stopped him before he even opened his mouth, while the thud of Sheldon slamming the door echoed in the room.

iii.

Sheldon didn't know exactly how long he had been there. Once the door had closed behind him, he hadn't known what to do anymore, and he ended up sinking on the porch swing. He had thought of possible weapons to challenge Christopher to a duel. Then he had considered that the guy was taller and brawnier than him, and a physical confrontation would possibly end with his own death. So, he started considering some other sort of revenge. Maybe he could spike his eggnog with some laxative? In the end however, his mind was occupied only by the thought of Amy. She had looked so upset and disappointed when he had asked to leave. Suddenly, he felt extremely guilty and too embarrassed to return inside and apologize to her.

"May I?"

Lost in his thoughts, Sheldon didn't realize his Meemaw had approached him. He nodded.

She sat next to him. "You made a scene earlier."

His cheeks burned. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have accused that guy of hitting on Amy."

"Oh, but you were right on that." Sheldon turned to her, his mouth opened wide by both surprise and anger. "Lil' Chris totally has a little thing for your Amy, and I can understand why."

"Uh? What do you mean? Is he some sort of womanizer?" Sheldon inquired in a worried tone.

"Oh, Lord. Absolutely not. He's the nicest guy you have seen. But Amy… she is indeed quite a woman."

Sheldon now was just confused. "I thought you didn't like her."

"I don't like what she has done to you," she quickly explained, "but I got to spend some time with her, and I can see what you see in her."

Sheldon grinned proudly. "She's great, isn't she?"

"She incredibly patient and loyal to you, Moonpie. She's also smart and witty, and I tasted her cookies from my recipe! They are pretty good."

"I know this, Meemaw. That's why the cowboy hopelessly fell in love with her, too."

"Oh, my sweet Moonpie!" She gently brushed his cheek. "Do you really think your lady even cares about that?" She placed a kiss on his forehead and stood. "Now you know what to do." She concluded, arriving at the door just moments before Amy appeared.

"I think someone owes you an apology." Meemaw told her. To Amy's wonder, she patted her shoulder and eventually returned inside.

"Hi."

"Hello."

"Please, have a seat," Sheldon offered, and so Amy did.

Keeping his stare low, he began his apology. "I'm sorry for earlier. I behaved improperly. I shouldn't have embarrassed you."

"You overreacted, you know that?"

Sheldon nodded. "Although, I have to admit," Amy's face finally softened, "it flattered me a little knowing you are jealous of me."

"I don't like men swarming to you like bees over a honeypot."

Amy laughed. "Sheldon, I assure you this hasn't and never will happen." She bent and stole a peck from his lips. "And in any case, I have eyes only for you."

"I know."

"Will you apologize to Christopher too?"

"Sure."

"Will you come with me to visit his ranch?"

"But-"

"I promise it will be fun."

"Yes, ma'am"

They rested on the seatback, and Sheldon slipped his hands in Amy's.

"It's a beautiful night," Sheldon observed. The first stars already twinkled. A warm, soft breeze blew. He held her hand tighter. "Do you mind if we stay here a little more?"

"Not at all," Amy assured him, resting her head on his shoulder.

 **A/N: Thank you all once again for all your support and love. It means a lot to me! Suggestions are open instead to help me decide the right material for bigbangenthusiast's statue, who has been so kind to correct this even in the middle of her vacations.**


	6. The Engagement Ring Displacement

**Prompt (suggested by creep-moon): Amy is worried and scared because just when she crosses her lab door she realizes the ring is not on her finger.**

Amy reached her laboratory, still humming some song of which she couldn't remember the title. To be honest, she didn't know the words either; the tune somehow had reached her and just sounded cheerful enough to match her mood.

She recalled from some silly romance novel, something about how when you think it can't get any better, it actually can. This was exactly her case. She and Sheldon were already in a pretty good place when she had been asked to join the research team at none other than Princeton. Shortly after, he had proposed. Well, it had taken a while to completely figure out things, but in the end she was now his fiancée, and ever since she had returned, she was more and more under the impression of actually living a dream.

Amy glowed (and blushed, too) thinking back to the way he had woken her up that very morning.

Adding a new 'first' in a list that kept growing, this time Sheldon had surprised her with some morning love. As she entered her lab and put away her purse and coat, her mind lost for a moment in the memory of the sleepy kisses and the tender lovemaking.

Still smiling, she proceeded to wear her lab coat and tie her hair to start her work - hoping she would have managed to stay focused long enough for that. She was ready to wash her hands when she noticed her engagement ring was missing.

"No, no, no, no, no…"

She immediately looked around the sink and then on the counters around it. Had it slipped maybe? She got down on her knees and tried to look around over the floor.

"No, no, no…," she cried again. Crawling around the laboratory, she desperately forced herself to remember when she last saw the ring on her finger.

Unfortunately, she couldn't think to any specific moment when she was sure of still having it. In the car, she had been too busy playing a few rounds of Food, Friend, Fight over zoo animals. Back home, they had barely had breakfast and prepared in a hurry because of their pleasant _lingering_ in bed.

"Ouch! I get it, it's not here," Amy snapped bumping in one of the counters.

She stood and went to her purse. Maybe she had already taken it off and she forgot? She knew she was still too young to suffer memory impairment, but lately she had also been pretty absent-minded, so it was worth a try.

She gave up only when the entire contents of the bag were scattered on the table. She fell on the closest chair and began to feel tears in her eyes. Stupid Amy! Her brain growled at herself. That ring was probably the most precious object she even owned. How long had she dreamed to receive it from Sheldon? Her knees still trembled a bit every time she thought of the moment he had showed at her door showing it and finally asking for her hand. And she just couldn't think of how much it would hurt Sheldon knowing that she had lost it...

She took a deep breath and wiped away her tears. She would find it. She _had_ to. Determined, she got up and quickly recollected her belongings into her purse, took her phone, and went to the door. No matter if she needed to sift through every inch of the campus, of her car, or their home, s _he would find it_.

ii.

"Gentlemen."

"I thought you would have dinner with Amy today," Howard greeted Sheldon as he sat at the guys' table.

"We needed to cancel. She has some backlog at the lab," Sheldon explained.

Leonard chuckled. "Yeah, I _heard_ you were late this morning."

Sheldon stared at him disapprovingly. Howard quickly swallowed his food. "Please, if we are about to have another episode of _Sheldon hits puberty_ just tell me so I can leave."

"Wait a moment," Raj interrupted them. "If Amy is still in her lab, who is the person right there who's taking a sandwich?"

Everyone turned to the serving food area, and Leonard raised his hand to draw her attention. "Amy!," He called her. "Join us!"

On her side, Amy gulped. She evidently had done her calculations wrong, as she was been noticed by the people she had been avoiding the whole lunch break. Hoping to not panic right away, she slipped her bare left hand in her cardigan pocket and slowly approached the table.

"Hello, Sheldon," She attempted a small smile. "Hello, guys."

Sheldon promptly stood and retrieved a chair for her. "I'm glad you managed to leave the lab at last," he said.

Carefully avoiding to meet his gaze, Amy sat and set down her sandwich on the napkin Leonard had prepared for it. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't intend to sit at all, only to grab something to eat back in my lab," she apologized to Sheldon.

"Amy, what's wrong with your hand?" Leonard asked.

She desperately tried to play dumb. "My hand? What are you talking about?"

"You have been keeping you left hand in your pocket even since you took the sandwich."

"Oh yes, my hand. The hand in my pocket. My hand!" Her plan to not panic was already derailing. She frantically tried to think to a good excuse.

"Have you hurt it?" Howard providentially asked her.

Amy's relief in having been offered a handhold unfortunately resulted evident as she almost shouted "Yes!" The four men and a few other people around the cafeteria looked at her surprised.

"Uh, I'm sorry. Yeah, one of the research monkeys bit me."

Leonard looked at her perplexed. "I thought you didn't work with monkeys no- Ouch!" Had Amy just kicked him?!

She indeed had, he understood from the glare she was throwing at him.

"I… I was at the monkeys cages to collect some results from a colleague. Do you mind if I eat now? I'm sorry, but I am really in a hurry," To better underline the concept, she immediately took a bite of her sandwich.

"Amy!" Sheldon exclaimed. "You need to immediately see a doctor. Who knows what kind of diseases those lab monkeys carry."

She chewed as slowly as she could to gain a few extra seconds to think. "It's nothing to worry about. It's only a small bite, and the monkeys aren't infected with anything." He better not know about the measles trials…

"Are you sure you are ok?" Howard asked then. "I see you are pretty pale."

"Says the vampire," she dryly answered back.

Raj and Leonard giggled. "That's true, buddy" Leonard observed.

"Wolowitz is not completely wrong though," Sheldon pointed out. "You've been acting strange today."

She swallowed one last bite and stood. "I need to go now. I am not that hungry after all," she lied.

Finally, she dared to look at Sheldon. Every minute she felt more guilty and desperate to find the right way to tell him what happened. For a moment, she thought to admit it all right on the spot.

He smiled at her. "Okay then. See you later. Do I need to ask Leonard to bring me home?"

Amy feebly nodded. She should better leave soon, she realized, as she found herself fighting upcoming tears. "I'm sorry," she said. "I love you…"

Then she turned and rushed away.

iii.

Once she reached the fourth floor, Amy closed her eyes and took a deep breath in one last, desperate attempt to gather enough strength to open that door and face the consequences of her lack of attention and following lies.

"Hi…" Her voice barely came out her throat as she entered the apartment.

"Hello," Sheldon greeted her back from behind the kitchen island. "Dinner's almost ready. It's pretty late."

Amy stripped of her purse and coat, and moved to sit on the couch. "Please, sit. I need to tell you something."

Sheldon nodded, cleaned his hands and joined her.

Amy swallowed and forced herself to look at him. Then, words left her in a turbulent stream. "I… I really don't know how this happened. I swear I searched everywhere, I have been wandering all around Pasadena, -"

"Stop. What are you talking about?"

"I- I am so sorry," Her left hand, hidden to that moment behind her back, finally moved on the front and rested on her lap. "I know how important and precious it was for you…"

She close her eyes, waiting for his reaction. Except he didn't say or do anything. She tentatively reopened one eye, saw Sheldon remaining completely still, and resolved to open the other.

"You should be more careful with it," he said calmly.

"I know… Wait, why are you so impassive?" There was something wrong, and scary, in his reaction.

"Why should I be upset? I know exactly where the ring is."

Sheldon caught Amy's puzzled stare and explained. "In the rush, you left it on the sink when preparing for work. I noticed it and I thought it would have been a nice occasion to teach you a lesson about taking care of it. You are welcome."

"YOU WHAT?"

Amy surged and yelled again. "How could you do this to me?"

Sheldon stood to front her. "Why are you yelling at me?" He asked genuinely surprised. "I saved the ring and taught you something."

Amy clenched her fists. That was something in pure Sheldon fashion. She knew he really thought to be right. Nevertheless, she felt extremely hurt. "How could you do something so cruel to me?"

" _Cruel_? What are you saying? I - " Sheldon froze, and his tone changed dramatically. "You are crying."

Amy hadn't even realized some tears were falling over her face. She quickly wiped those. "Yes, Sheldon. I felt miserable this whole day thinking that I had lost it. Your family's precious belonging, the symbol of your love and promise to start a life with me. And you- you only thought to give me a _lesson_."

"I'm not hungry," Amy concluded. "I'm going to bed."

She turned and headed to the bedroom, when Sheldon took her hand to stop her. "Wait. Please, wait here a moment," He begged.

Amy remained where she was. Sheldon hurried to the bedroom and soon returned holding a well-known little velvet box.

When he knelt in front of her, Amy's heart skipped a beat just like the first time. "Sheldon…"

"Amy," He started resolutely "Will you marry me and forgive me for having hurt you?"

He saw her lineaments soften and almost tried a smile. She sniffed up and looked better at him. There it was, she thought, that face that always won her over. Those bright, sparkling eyes staring at her with all the world's love.

Amy sighed, and smiled for real. "Yes. I will marry you, and I may forgive you for being an idiot."

"You _may_?"

Amy raised her eyebrows. "Of course," he muttered. She had already, hadn't she?

She extended her hand, and Sheldon proceeded to put her precious ring back on her finger. Standing, Amy pulled him to her and kissed him. Resting her forehead on his, she whispered cheerfully, "I will marry you, you sweet idiot..."

 **A/N: That's a wrap! This was the last prompt, so this little adventure ends here. It has been amazing. I didn't imagine to receive such support from you all! I can't tell you how proud and happy I am realizing how people actually enjoyed these little stories of mine. Out of curiosity, how many of you realized they are set all in the same continuity? (To be fair, they weren't supposed to be this way. It's just happened along the way). Anyway, thank you all! And yes bigbangenthusiast, your statue will have diamonds too.**


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